How can Osteopathy help sciatica? Every health issue, either a disease or pain, usually has some form of medicinal cure. Yet you do not need to treat every problem with medications. Many other ways, including chiropractic and osteopathy practices, help to treat body pains.
Osteopathy is a non-medicinal process of detecting and curing several human health problems. With this process, osteopaths try to diagnose the pain by stretching and massaging muscles, tissues, and the rest of the body parts.
Osteopathy has been found effective in curing countless body pains and problems, but can it help sciatica? That’s what we’re going to find out! Let’s start by looking at an overview of this condition.
What Is Sciatica?
The longest nerve in the human body is the sciatic nerve. The nerve extends from the lower back passing through the hip, buttocks, and then both legs to the feet. The pain caused near the sciatic nerve area is known as sciatica. Sciatica usually does not affect both legs simultaneously, and the pain can be felt anywhere from the lower back to the legs.
What are the Causes of Sciatica?
Many diseases and injuries can be a cause of sciatica, and the most common of these causes include:
Degenerative Disc Disease – This condition is the breaking down of discs between spinal vertebrae, narrowing nerve space causing sciatica, especially back pain.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis – Spinal stenosis is mostly caused as a result of disk degeneration, eventually shrinking nerve space which causes sciatica.
Spondylolisthesis – In this condition, one of the lower vertebrae slips from its natural position, which then presses or pinches the sciatic nerve resulting in sciatica.
Slipped Disk – The most common cause of sciatica is a slipped disk. A slipped disk pinches the sciatic nerve by narrowing its space which becomes a cause of sciatica.
Apart from these causes, many other factors also increase the risks of sciatica, and these include:
Overweight – An unhealthy lifestyle that leads to overweighing increases the risks of sciatic pain.
Pregnancy – Most women during their pregnancy experience sciatica. And they do not feel sciatica due to the increasing weight but because of the change in hormones.
Weakness – Body weakness is also a cause of increased sciatica risk. This weakness can be caused by many different reasons.
Diabetes – It is seen that most people having diabetes suffer from sciatic nerve pain at least once in their lifetime.
An injury – Any accidental damage near the lower back also increases the chances of experiencing sciatica.
Aging – It is not always a health issue that increases the risk of sciatica. With the increasing age, the chances of sciatic pain also rise.
Poor posture – Most people having a desk job forget to pay attention to their sitting posture. And a poor posture can also become a cause of sciatica.
Lack of Physical Exercise – Lack of physical exercise can lead to the inactivity of certain body parts, especially our lower back, which increases the risk of sciatic nerve pain.
Smoking – Smoking also increases the chances of back pain and sciatica.
How Do Osteopaths Diagnose Sciatica?
Their mobilizing tricks help improve the movement of a patient’s spinal vertebrae, which is usually the main cause of sciatica. Osteopaths can even fix a slightly dislocated vertebral disk with their amazing massaging tricks. And by doing so, they help in relieving and diagnosing sciatica.
Can Osteopaths Help With Sciatica?
Suppose the reason behind the pain in the sciatic nerve is not very serious, and you do not need medical surgery, then yes. In that case, an osteopath can definitely help you cure sciatica. And if you do not know the reason behind the pain, you should visit an osteopath at least once (if the pain does not seem very serious).
Relaxing osteopathic massaging techniques have the power to do wonders in relieving various body and nerve pains, including sciatic nerve pain.
What Helps Sciatica Heal Faster?
Along with the osteopathic or medicinal treatment, there are a few ways that you can use to heal sciatica faster,
Cold and Hot Treatment – In the starting days of sciatica, place an ice pack on the affected area, which helps reduce inflammation. Secondly, a mild hot pack on the area where you feel sciatica will help improve blood circulation. And this way, both of these methods help reduce pain and eventually heal sciatica faster.
Physical Exercises – Some physical exercises can also help in curing sciatica faster. These exercises may include aerobic and stretching exercises. Make sure to get help from a professional osteopath before pulling out any of these exercises, and do not overdo or apply much pressure during these exercises.
FAQs
Is an osteopath good for sciatica?
It is worth seeing an osteopath for sciatica, especially when you do not want to take any medications for the pain. They can treat sciatic nerve pain by relaxing and calming massage techniques to release pressure on the sciatic nerve. They won’t always be able to solve more serious issues but can be hugely beneficial in many situations.
Can an osteopath help with nerve pain?
Yes, an osteopath can help you with any nerve pain, including sciatica. Without using any drugs or medicines, they can help you diagnose sciatica. Nerve pain can be caused by many different factors and many of them can be cured by an osteopath.
What can you do for unbearable sciatica?
To reduce unbearable sciatica pain, you can use cold and hot packs on the affected area. They instantly help reduce inflammation and improve blood circulation. It’s important that if you’re experiencing severe pain then you should contact a doctor as soon as you can.
